Deans
Stephen Crosby
Dean
(617) 287-5550
steve.crosby@umb.edu
Stephen P. Crosby, the founding Dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, has nearly 40 years of experience in policy making, entrepreneurship and non-profit leadership.
Mr. Crosby served as Secretary of Administration and Finance to Governors Paul Cellucci and Jane M. Swift from 2000-2002. He was responsible for development, legislative approval and implementation of the governor's $23 billion annual operating budget and a $2 to $3 billion capital budget. He supervised 22 agencies with 3,000 employees. In 2002, he served as chief of staff to Governor Swift.
Mr. Crosby has worked nearly full-time on non-profit boards, serving as chair of the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative, the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST), vice chair of The Poverty Institute, and board member for the AIDS Responsibility Project, headquartered in Los Angeles.
Mr. Crosby is founder and publisher of CCI/Crosby Publishing in Boston. He has served as chairman and CEO of technology and publishing companies, including Interactive Radio Corp., Inc., SmartRoute Systems, Inc., Crosby Vandenburgh Group, and MetroGuide, Inc. In addition, Mr. Crosby's career includes work as a campaign manager and senior advisor for local and national candidates and elected representatives.
Mr. Crosby received his B.A. from Harvard College and his J.D. from Boston University. In addition to his work as a policy maker, he has provided public policy commentary on WBUR-FM, New England Cable News (NECN), and in the Boston Globe.
Jeffrey Burr
Associate Dean
(617) 287-5550
jeffrey.burr@umb.edu
Jeffrey Burr received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently Associate Dean of the McCormack Graduate School and Professor of Gerontology. He is a Fellow in the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute, a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (Behavioral and Social Sciences Section) and a member of Sigma Phi Omega (the national Gerontological honor society). He teaches the following courses in the Gerontology Department: Research Methods and Experimental Design, Seminar in Productive Aging, Seminar in Older Immigrants, and Professional Development Seminar.
Professor Burr's research interests include the social demography of aging, household composition and living arrangements, race and ethnicity in aging populations, labor force participation in later life and productive activity in later life. He has published numerous articles on aging in journals such as Demography, Journal of Gerontology, Research on Aging, Journal of Aging Studies, Social Forces, Population Research and Policy Review, Generations, and Journal of Aging and Social Policy.
Professor Burr currently has funding from the National Institute on Aging to examine the living arrangements of older Asian and Hispanic immigrants in the United States using 1990 and 2000 Census data. This study seeks to understand the intricate relationships and characteristics among older immigrants and the persons who live with them, how the influence of community factors and state policies affect independent living among members of older immigrant groups and how the living arrangements of these race and ethnic groups changed during the 1990s – a time of significant policy change regarding the eligibility of older immigrants for important forms of governmental support.
Sandy Blanchette
Assistant Dean
(617) 287-5534
sandy.blanchette@umb.edu
Sandra Blanchette came to the McCormack Institute in 1994 as a graduate assistant in the MSPA program. After receiving her M.S. in Public Affairs, she worked as a research assistant and administrator with the Center for Social Policy, participating in studies involving housing in Massachusetts, Community Action Organizations, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Hospital Quality Initiatives and organized a Housing Issues Seminar Series. Sandra Blanchette served in various roles in the Town of Avon, as an elected member of the School Committee and as chairman of the Personnel Board and the Recycling Committee. She is currently an appointed member of the Finance Committee. Prior to coming to the McCormack Institute, Sandra spent over sixteen years in the healthcare field.